Way too many of us are familiar with bladder stones. We have an opportunity now to participate in a study to finally begin figuring out the causes and prevention of, and treatment for stones.

Oxbow is sponsoring a multi-institutional case-control study. In order to do the study, however, they need stones. My vet said they need a minimum of 100 stones submitted.

If you have a stone removed from your guinea pig, I strongly urge you and your vet to send it to UC Davis for this study. There was no cost involved for me. I merely filled out a detailed questionnaire about diet, health issues and other stone/sludge guinea pigs in my care.

I also strongly urge you to pass this information along to your vet, whether you have a pig with stones or not. The more samples sent in, the more all vets will learn.

I wonder if UC Davis and Minnesota are sharing data. It would be nice.

Unless our vet filled out information for us, we didn't provide much info to the Minnesota study. I know she had some sort of form, but I have no idea what was on it, and she didn't ask for detailed diet information.

Salana, yes, passed stones are fine. Considering their composition, I doubt that they have to be "fresh" or recent.

I forgot to ask my vet about the Minnesota study. I have no idea what has happened with that. This study is being overseen by two vets at UC Davis and Connie Orcutt of Boston’s Angell Memorial Hospital.

There is no way my vet or the vet tech could have filled out this form. It was way too detailed.

I've had two sent in for this study already. Different pigs, and from different families. Both came back as calcium oxylate. But my most recent one with Louise came back saying they were able to grow bacteria from it. I think it was strep.

Definitely send them in. At least the analysis is free because of the study and it will help their research.

About a week ago, at Peppi's follow up appointment, we gave the vet the contact information for the stone study. A couple days ago, he called my husband and said that he was told they also wanted a sample of bladder tissue in addition to the stone, and the stone alone wasn't enough for the study. Obviously we can't get that now. So now our vet is going to analyze the stone for us to see its composition so we can take preventative measures against more stones.

Anyway, I was surprised and confused to hear that info on the bladder tissue sample, since it wasn't mentioned here. Did anyone else get that response?

I wish they were more organized with their information. I had contacted the vet running the study before Peppi's first surgery, and she didn't say much other than to have our vet contact her, and somehow it wasn't communicated they needed more than the stone to proceed.

I want to point out that I have kept in periodic contact with Dr. Hawkins during our efforts on Gilbert's behalf. When Gilbert died (Dec 5 06) following a fourth stone surgery, we made sure Dr. Hawkins was in touch with our vet at Kansas State University Veterinary Hospital. This way during the necropsy they could take any samples, measurements, or x-rays that UC Davis might want.

Dr. Hawkins has also, through her emails, proven to be another vet who truly cares.